The Colombian Government announced this Friday the incorporation of four more women to its negotiating team at the Peace Dialogue Table with the National Liberation Army (ELN), thus completing the female quota with eight female negotiators.
Half of the members of the Government delegation in the negotiations will now be women after the decision of Petro’s Executive and after the criticism of the Minister of Culture, Patricia Ariza, who asked to «remove testosterone from the political discussion» to the dialogues being held in Venezuela, as reported by ‘El Colombiano’.
«In order to expand the participation of women in the Peace Dialogue Table with the ELN, the National Government has decided to incorporate four more women to its negotiating team», the Executive informed in a statement.
The women who will integrate the tables are journalists Mábel Lara and María Jimena Duzán, lawyer Nigeria Rentería and pastor Adelaida Jiménez.
Mabel Lara is a political scientist, internationalist and journalist by profession. In her career spanning more than two decades, she has received several awards such as the India Catalina Award and the Simón Bolivar Award. She has also been awarded as a ‘First Generation’ leader by the United Nations and the Government of Sweden.
María Jimena Duzán is a journalist and writer, author of several books on the Colombian conflict. She founded the graduate program in journalism at the Universidad de Los Andes and for more than 30 years has worked with the most important media in the country and several renowned international media. She is also a columnist for the Spanish newspaper ‘El País’ and Cambio magazine.
Nigeria Renteria is a lawyer from Universidad La Gran Colombia and a defender of indigenous rights and ethnic minorities. She was part of the government delegation to the peace talks in Havana and was a candidate for the governorship of Chocó for the ASI party.
Adelaida Jiménez is a Presbyterian pastor with a degree in theology and education with an emphasis on community outreach. She is also a member of the World Council of Churches «With these appointments, which coincide with the international celebration of the Day against Gender Violence, half of the members of the National Government delegation in the negotiations with the National Liberation Army (ELN) will now be women», said the Colombian Executive.
